The Terrace Holiday Tournament Standout Guards

Just before the new year, I ventured up to Mountlake Terrace to catch day one of their two-day holiday tournament. There were four cross-classification matchups on the day; (2A) Sehome vs (3A) Prairie, (4A) Inglemoor vs (1A) Seattle Academy, (4A) North Creek vs (1A) Lynden Christian, and (4A) Skyline vs (3A) Mountlake Terrace. Here are some of the standout guards from the day, including top performers, new names, and players to watch.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Top Performers</h3>   [player_tooltip player_id='1587970' first='Gannon' last='Dykstra'] | 2025 | Lynden Christian   He started out with a couple of quick turnovers getting picked while bringing the ball up the court but quickly recovered and adjusted to the pressure. The Lyncs' offense also struggled for a bit, but when they started to get some better ball movement Dykstra was able to create some more space off the dribble and started knocking down shots. He hit a few threes and then really got going, sinking just bout every open shot later in the contest.   [player_tooltip player_id='2158292' first='Dawson' last='Bouma'] | 2024 | Lynden Christian   Bouma struggled to get shots to fall in the first half but was getting great penetration by hitting tiny gaps and muscling through the defense. He's a really strong guard top to bottom and he stuck with it into the second half when he started getting shots to fall at the rim. He showed good burst but also the ability to stop and pivot back and forth, speeding guys up and getting them off their feet to create shot openings.   [player_tooltip player_id='2368988' first='Tristan' last='Bautista'] | 2024 | North Creek   Bautista was one of the most impressive competitors of the day. He showed legit toughness and started the game out with a couple of early steals while Lynden Christian tried to get into their offense. While his defense was tough all game, he didn't really heat up offensively until later in the contest when he started finding gaps to attack and was a key guy in helping the Jags secure the one-point win.   [player_tooltip player_id='1685499' first='Nolan' last='Wright'] | 2026 | Sehome   He's just a sophomore but was clearly the driving force behind Sehome's attack. His strength and change of pace allowed him to get to his spots and drop in shots around the paint. He's got a really nice lefty hesi and was able to freeze defenders near the perimeter then put in some athletic finishes at the hoop or draw fouls. Wright also hit several threes on the night.   [player_tooltip player_id='2300050' first='Josh' last='Crane'] | 2026 | Prairie   Crane's a guy I'm still getting to know but the more I see, the more I like his game. He's active on both ends, pressuring players on the perimeter and getting his hands out to tip some passes, and looks to get downhill with the ball on O. He stops and elevates really well on the short to midrange jumper to get separation and was hyper effective operating around the high post. His handle can get away from him at times but he showed a good foundation there.   [player_tooltip player_id='1450563' first='Jaxon' last='Dubiel'] | 2024 | Mountlake Terrace   The Hawks' star guard put on a masterful performance on their way to an 81-56 victory over Skyline. He finished the game with 33 points and was running up and down the floor all night getting steals, fastbreak buckets, and weaving through transition defense. He excelled in every aspect of the game showing a level of awareness that went unmatched. He's a rangy player who's super quick to loose balls and is one of the top two-way playmakers in his class.   [player_tooltip player_id='1984492' first='Aman' last='Sterling'] | 2025 | Inglemoor   The junior guard continues to impress me each time I watch him. He's their top offensive option and started out the game with three triples in the opening quarter. He had to work pretty hard to get looks in the final three quarters but has the patience to work back and forth with the dribble to get closer to the rim and has a pretty smooth jumper off the dribble.   [player_tooltip player_id='1863243' first='Cam' last='Newsome'] | 2026 | Prairie   Newsome came up big for Praire late in their overtime loss against Sehome. He was the player of the game in the fourth quarter and overtime, catching fire from 3-point land and hitting one key three with about 10 seconds left to tie the game up. He also showed up big on the defensive end, getting up on ballhandlers and making big steals at the top that led to quick buckets on the other end.   [player_tooltip player_id='1450610' first='Caden' last='Culver'] | 2024 | Skyline   Culver can fill a classic point guard role with his ability to run an offense, but against Mountlake Terrace he was called on to score the rock. He got some nice looks early on by getting to the middle, sinking some one dribble pull-ups and also showed some impressive range from three throughout the game. Skyline was forced into a lot of jumpers and Culver was their main source of points by getting going from midrange and 3-point.   [player_tooltip player_id='1978875' first='Atticus' last='Boba'] | 2024 | Skyline   It was tough going early on but Boba grinded out the game and got some momentum going in the second half. He continued to fight for drives to the hoop and ended up getting [player_tooltip player_id='1450489' first='Zaveon' last='Jones'] in some foul trouble which really allowed him to get going later in the game. He's a strong kid and was able to get the rim, then play off that and create space for mid-range shots with defenders giving a little extra cushion for drives.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">New Names & Players to Watch</h3>   [player_tooltip player_id='1837776' first='Hunter' last='Ackerley'] | 2024 | Seattle Academy   Ackerly had a relatively quiet game but came up with some key plays in key moments. He also showed off some nice rim finishes and was able to convert from tough angles on the go.   [player_tooltip player_id='1450995' first='Jalani' last='Clemmons'] | 2025 | Seattle Academy   Clemmons is an athletic guard but what he showed against Inglemoor that was really promising was an elevated level of patience with the ball. Rather than trying to power through the defense he showed off various moves from different spots, worked both off the dribble and with his back to the hoop, and was able to get several trips to the line where he looked really solid.   [player_tooltip player_id='2375381' first='Mateo' last='Love'] | 2025 | Inglemoor   The 6-foot-4 wing showed some real potential against Seattle Academy as a strong guard/wing who can get to the rim. He's able to get looks close in by both working drives in from the perimeter and making cuts and rebounds near the basket. He did tend to take some tough shots when further out but was a strong performer for the Vikings on the day.   [player_tooltip player_id='2182848' first='Quincy' last='Tanovan'] | 2027 | Sehome   The freshman guard played big minutes for Sehome and came up with some clutch shots from long-distance. He's a smaller guard and got caught in some tough spots under pressure in the half-court, but is pretty quick and showed the mentality to bounce back and keep competing.   Brendan Carter | 2024 | Prairie   Carter was a big-time shooter for the Falcons and had at least five triples in their game against Sehome. But he's more than just a shooter, showing he can find lanes to the offensive glass, fight for loose balls, and convert some tough buckets at the rim.   [player_tooltip player_id='1588000' first='Rayshaun' last='Connor'] | 2025 | Mountlake Terrace   Connor has shown he has the poise to hit big shots in the past but against Skyline it was his defense that shined through. He was all over perimeter players from the jump and was a big reason Skyline struggled to score in the first half. He was unshakeable on the ball and played with great energy.   [player_tooltip player_id='1587923' first='Eric' last='Lyubarsky'] | 2024 | Skyline   Lyubarsky is a solid guard who has a little shake to his game and can hit the outside shot. He hit a corner three to start the game and although it got harder offensively as the game went on, he continued to fight on the other end with tough perimeter defense.

Just before the new year, I ventured up to Mountlake Terrace to catch day one of their two-day holiday tournament. There were four cross-classification matchups on the day; (2A) Sehome vs (3A) Prairie, (4A) Inglemoor vs (1A) Seattle Academy, (4A) North Creek vs (1A) Lynden Christian, and (4A) Skyline vs (3A) Mountlake Terrace. Here are some of the standout guards from the day, including top performers, new names, and players to watch.